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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/09/12 - ADMIN - Minutes - Charter Commission - Regular OFFICIAL MINUTES CHARTER COMMISSION MEETING ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA September 12, 2019 6:00 p.m. – St. Louis Park City Hall, Community Room 1. Call to Order Chair Maaske called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call and Attendance Members Present: JC Beckstrand, Jim Brimeyer, Gary Carlson, Lynne Carper, Jim de Lambert, Terry Dwyer, David Dyer, Andrew Rose, Sara Maaske, Erin Smith, and Henry Solmer. Members Absent: Others Present: Melissa Kennedy (City Clerk), Nancy Deno (Deputy City Manager/HR Director) Approval of Minutes a. Minutes of April 25, 2019 Charter Commission Meeting It was moved by Commissioner Brimeyer, seconded by Commissioner Dwyer, to approve the minutes of April 25, 2019 as presented. The motion passed 10-0. Commissioner Carper abstained. 4. Old Business a. Presentation – Update on Charter review process and discussion of next steps Ms. Kennedy updated the commission on the first phase of the charter review process. She stated the city attorney’s office completed their review of the charter for legal inconsistencies and recommended two changes, one in section 3.01 and one in section 11.03. She noted updates were also suggested in several sections to bring the charter up to date with gender- neutral language. She identified the options for gender-neutral language and asked the commission to indicate their preference. Commissioner Carper suggested moving forward with the proposed changes and asking the city attorney to further review all sections beyond legal inconsistencies and identify any sections that used outdated language or that no longer reflect current or recommended practice. Commissioner Brimeyer stated he would also like the attorney to complete a review of all sections and provide recommendations on specific changes for the commission to consider updating language to reflect current practice. He noted he was fine moving forward with the changes proposed and suggested option 1 for the gender-neutral language. Commissioner Beckstrand concurred with Commissioners Carper and Brimeyer and suggested that the commission could consider their own review process after receiving the recommendations from the city attorney. He stated he preferred option 1 for gender-neutral language and would also support moving forward with the changes proposed. Charter Commission Minutes -2- September 12, 2019 Commissioner Solmer stated he was in favor of option 1 for gender-neutral language. He noted he would be in favor of the commission undertaking further review of the charter and considering updates, including additional review of the possibility of enacting multi-seat elections for city council. It was moved by Commissioner Brimeyer, seconded by Commissioner Beckstrand, to send the proposed updates to the Home Rule Charter to the city council for consideration. The motion passed 11-0. 5. New Business 6. Future Meetings The commission asked staff to coordinate a meeting of the commission in April 2020. 7. Communications Commissioner Dyer provided an update on the changes to the former Telecommunications Advisory Commission. He stated the commission’s name would be changed to Community Technology Advisory Commission (CTAC) to reflect a changing, broader scope of business the commission intended to undertake. He noted several outreach opportunities and encouraged commissioners to participate to help CTAC understand issues that were important to the community and how the application of technology could improve city services or the quality of life in St. Louis Park. 8. Adjournment It was moved by Commissioner Brimeyer, seconded by Commissioner Beckstrand, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed 11-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Melissa Kennedy, City Clerk